GSA extends Networx award schedule

The General Services Administration has extended the award dates for its 10-year, $20 billion Networx telecommunications contract, said agency administrator Stephen Perry.

Awards for the Universal part will be issued in July 2006, while awards for the Enterprise part will be issued in September 2006, Perry said at a Sept. 7 Industry Advisory Council event in Washington.

The Universal part of Networx will provide government locations with a broad range of telecom services nationwide. Enterprise will offer a mix of specialized Internet protocol or wireless services in specific geographical areas. GSA originally planned to issue multiple awards for both parts in April 2006.

GSA has twice pushed ahead the due dates for contractors to submit their proposals. The current deadlines are Oct. 5 for Universal and Oct. 7 for Enterprise.

Networx will replace the current FTS 2001 contract for governmentwide telecom services, which expires in 2006. MCI and Sprint are the two incumbents on the FTS 2001 contract, which expires in 2006.